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This is the best fashion and style advice you could give me.Thank you to remind me what is really important and that normal people can make the difference (just a little easy-to-achieve consciousness needed!).Thank you

None of us are currently naked; we all have clothes. Maybe we don't love them all, or feel like a million dollars in them, but we can get by. There are other women who need us to think of them and remember their needs, as well as our own.

I had exactly the same thought when I read that there was a clothing factory in that building. I recently blogged about Fairtrade and the need to look for Fairtrade clothes when buying something new. There are dedicated companies like People Tree, which is the best option, and some major UK companies like Marks & Spencer and Tesco do have a Fairtrade line – but what about the rest of their clothes?

I am sure most of us have been guilty at one point of another of 'supporting' child labor and/or deplorable work conditions. Apple Inc. is just now getting around to improve labor conditions in China. NPR had an interesting report stating the move to Bengladesh is caused by improved (and therefore more expensive) labor conditions in China. Good visual reminder, and I think a little bit of beating up oneself occasionally is a good thing. It helps me to sort out my garbage when hardly anyone in my street will bother…

Canadian giant Superstore sells Joe Fresh and their clothes were made in this factory. How outrageous that there are no architectural standards or building code in India!I will be boycotting Joe Fresh. I did buy a lovely dress yesterday which is made in Vancouver by my fave company Gilmour. Guilt free shopping an supporting our Canadian economy. I would like to see some changes made in the garment industry. These poor people are being exploited.

Am with you on this,on the news here UK.Primark a large clothing firm of cheapo horrors that clog up our landfills after a couple of wears are reported to have their clothes made in this factory……when will we learn?Judith

Thank you for this! These were my thoughts exactly when I heard the news. Joe Fresh has opened up a few stores in NYC (where I live) recently and I was horrified when I saw the prices — it's obvious under what kinds of conditions they need to be made. I am also so tired of clothing companies claiming they have no control over their sub-contractors — they would if they wanted to.

What a tragedy. 200 or more dead and thousands injured for the sake of some North Americans to have cheap clothing. Not to mention probably the horrible working conditions they were under. I saw a show on t.v. once where female garment workers in a country like that were harassed and insulted by their male boss. I just see on the news now they earned 1 dollar a day. Can you imagine? But I guess they have no alternative so they are trapped.

I wonder if although you buy your garment made in Canada or the U.S.,,,do you consider where the fabric was made? Maybe it is constructed in these types of factories too.

This 'they wouldn't have any jobs' argument is so colonial, looking down on people. Maybe if we didn't flood their economy with our 'have worn it twice'-hand-me-down clothes a healthy textile economy could develop.

One of the many reasons I, an anthropology professor, read your blog is that you are one of the only bloggers who combines the concepts of style and ethics. Good for you for posting about this issue. Garment workers die in Bangladesh and other countries not only from fires, but from toxins they are exposed to in fabric dyeing and weaving; in addition, their working conditions are inhuman. I have a colleague who did work on Bangladeshi factory work, so I have seen videos of what goes on there. Remember: when you buy from H&M or Joe Fresh or Walmart, you have money in your wallet, are free to move around, leave and eat what you want when you want, go to the bathroom when you need to, bear and take care of your children on your terms — the women who make the clothes you buy there have none of those freedoms.

V.O. I would be interested to know your thoughts on whether buying Fairtrade clothes would help to solve this. I'm not saying "they wouldn't have any jobs" in a colonial way, I hope, I'm trying to say "make their jobs safer and their working conditions better so they can earn a decent living without fear".

Part of the thesis is that China's labor standards are now rising, and as a result clothes from there are going to get more expensive. Bangladesh doesn't present these "problems" for manufacturers. And yes, higher priced lines are also made in factories with sub-standard working conditions overseas. As the book Overdressed lays out, there is no simple solution to this problem. Buy from countries with fair working conditions, buy less but better quality (there's a whole chapter on why we don't recognize good quality any more), have it made locally, or make your own.

I have sent emails to two companies where I buy clothes on-line, Lands End and Marks & Spencer, asking them whether their clothes have been produced ethically. I also checked the website of another company, Wallis, and their stance is made quite clear on their website. I have already mentioned People Tree. If we all check out the policies of companies that we buy from (and it's not just a case of them "telling" their suppliers to follow standards but they need to check that they adhere to them) maybe we can prevent this happening again. I won't be going into Primark again, that's for sure.

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...

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